How has this place escaped me for so long? Hoboken seems to be filled with a bunch of ho-hum Italian places that in no way distinguish themselves from one another. Otto Strada easily separates themselves from the pack and a massive menu that is both traditional and creative, while being restrained. We showed up on a Friday night, and expectedly were told they were all filled up there would be a 45 minute wait. They don't take reservations here, so either show up early or expect a bit of a wait on weekend nights. About 30 minutes later, we got a call to let us know our table was ready. We opted for the drunken octopus, crostini, pasta carbonara and the one pound meatball. The drunken octopus was fantastic, and a massive portion with three large tentacles, and a side of cannelloni beans and tomatoes. This could easily be an entree. The octopus is tender and delicious, and as good as octopus I've had anywhere. The crostini we opted for included creamy buratta cheese, caramelized tomatoes, and honey. The sweetness coaxed out of the caramelized tomatoes pairs perfectly with the honey, but is successfully tempered down by the sprinkling of sea salt, basil, and olive oil. Also to note... The bread on the crostini is softer / less toasted than you might expect, so while the contrasting textures are missing, the flavors more than make up for it. The carbonara normally comes with pasta that is not made in house, but they happily substituted it for an in house made linguini. This was so creamy and delicious. Really just an excellent pasta dish, and again, the portions is more than large enough to share or be a single standalone entree. What goes better with a giant plate of pasta than a giant meatball? The one pound meatball is larger than a softball and comes smothered in tomato sauce and topped with a healthy dollop of fresh and creamy ricotta. It goes without says, this is another giant dish. The meatball itself is fine; not as impressive as the other dishes, but certainly not bad. This is the only dish I probably wouldn't order again. While the prices here feel a bit on the higher side for both Hoboken, and for an Italian place, the large portions and quality of the food easily justify the prices. Don't believe me? The wait for a table on any weekend night should help convince you. This was one of the best Italian meals I've had in a while, and oh yeah, it's BYOB. Absolutely coming back soon. read more

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Highly recommend this place!! If you want an authentic Hoboken feel restaurant with delicious Italian food and great service this is your go to place in Hoboken. The portions are perfect . Especially the 16oz meatball!! Which is great to share. Food is fresh. I recommend sitting outside on a nice night to get the full Hoboken feel and view of brownstones nearby. All good came out in a timely manner. Staff had good suggestions on customer favorites to help with the overwhelmingly delicious menu options. Reasonably priced for portions, food type, freshness and atmosphere . Sometimes in Hoboken you can feel yourself over paying for the area but that is not the case at this hidden gem. I will most definitely be returning to try the pesto pasta , pizza, and cannoli cones !! read more

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Just posting an update that this is still our favorite restaurant in Hoboken :) Simply cannot beat the food here.

French toad is off the chain! The pancakes are fluffy and very light. The food is very fresh and the staff is friendly. The environment is very clean and the price is right. #1 French toast in our book read more

This has to be hands down the #1 restaurant I have ever been to in my entire life (and I'm from NYC)! Their Penne Allá Vodka w/ Mozzarella balls is to die for. All their pasta is made on-site so you know it's good. It's BYOB, & is reasonably priced to begin with, making it friendly for all budgets. Service is great too. Make sure to get there early because this is probably the most popular restaurant in Hoboken & they don't take reservations (any wait is well worth it though). I could go on and on...even if you don't live in Hoboken, take the Path / bus here and check this place out, you won't regret it! read more

Otto Strada - Penne Allá Vodka, mussels - Italian Near Me - Hoboken, New Jersey

Great options on the standard menu and really great dishes on the special board. We split a few appetizers which were all very good. Grilled shrimp, smashed burrata and prosciutto, and stuffed Italian long horns. I recommend trying them all. For entrees, I'd recommend sticking with the pastas and parms. I tried a few bites of the meat dishes and they were just ok. Overall, give Otto Strada a try. It's one of the best Italian restaurants around. Great job chef! read more

I'll start by saying that, as other commenters have noted, this place gets very busy very quickly. We came at 5:40pm on a Saturday, were seated immediately, and the place looked half empty, but like clockwork at 6pm, a ton of people came in and it was packed until we left around 7pm. It would help if they took reservations. That said, the food is great and I love that they're BYOB. The service was also prompt, and the prices are fair for the food they give you. read more

We came here for dinner on a Thursday. We didn't have a reservation but we arrived late (almost 9pm) and were seated promptly. We ordered the Polpetta, mafaldine bolognese and orecchiette (special of the day). The dishes came to the table super hot (extra points here), they came all together and looked really good. Polpetta is huge (can be shared) and I would say good but not awesome, the tomato sauce was great. Bolognese was really good, good size for one very hungry person and pasta cooked perfectly. Orecchiette was awesome and can be shared. Super tasty, not too much butter and very delicate flavor. I will definitely order this one again. read more

This local Hoboken establishment has it all... Innovative menu, check. Generous portions, check. Inviting ambience, check. An owner who truly cares about the community and each patron, check check check. My family has been here countless times and ordered delivery as well. This is truly the best of what Hoboken has to offer! read more

Veal ravioli was amazing. Did not love the red pesto pasta nearly as much, was kind of bland and not worth the price. Always would get pasta so tried the pizza last time and was also amazing. Always busy so make sure you leave your name and walk around or call for a reservation in advance. No cork fee is great ;) read more

Mediocre meal. The ambiance is on point as was service. BYOB. Not sure on corkage fee. 5-stars on portion size. Whoa Nelly! Hope you're starved. Most memorable dish: crostini di burrata - caramelized tomatoes, burrata, honey, basil, evoo, sea salt. Bellissimo! I opted for the capellini con pancetta. Man, I was ready for a burst of flavors! Smoked bacon, brussels, criminis, rosemary, romano. But, something was missing. It was surprisingly bland. Womp womp. I heard the same about the 16oz meatball. Just a big ol flavorless hunk o meat in a cute lil cast iron. Another shared 'meh' sentiment was for the tortellini stuffed with braised veal + beef. I did have a lovely bite of the pollo limoncello. Nicely done! Dine at your discretion. Maybe an off night for flavor? The ingredients and portion size are there. read more

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Pastas are great, would not recommend the pizza. The stuffed artichoke app is so amazing. Great BYOB spot and even though they don't take reservations, they text you pretty quickly to be seated in my experience read more

Otto Strada is a wonderful place for brunch or dinner. I challenge you to tell me that you've had better mussels than Nonna's Angry Mussels on the dinner menu, and the eggs in purgatory on the brunch menu! Never had a bad meal here, and they are the friendliest servers. read more

The best Italian food you will ever eat. My wife and I moved to Hoboken 2 months ago and we've brought all of our friends and family to this place (we went 7 times in 9 weeks). The rigatoni alla vodka and the truffle tartufo pasta are a MUST if you are a pasta lover like us. The place offers a great outdoor experience as they have properly sectioned off the seating arrangements for everyone to feel safe during COVID. The waiters are great, especially George, who is knowledgeable about every item on the menu and can point you to the dinner of your dreams when you're conflicted. All in all, we've waited over 1.5hrs for this place and it was worth every minute. read more

I once said the the best Italian food is only a little bit better than Chef Boyardee. Otto Strada sure proved me wrong. I had the Bucatini Alla Carbonara. Creamy and delicious. My fiancé had the Mafaldine Alla Bolognese. Also delicious. They have pizza, pasta, and other dishes, so we are pretty enthusiastic about going back to try different things. Nice staff. Clean, relaxed, BYOB environment. Even met the owner. If you want food that is a hundred times better than Chef Boyardee, this is the place. read more

I've been to almost every restaurant in hoboken... and this place yes it has been written up a bunch ... but it's not the best unfortunately. :/. Started off with antipasto which was just OK -- the salame and the prosciutto had a lot of fat :/. Bleh. This appetizer was 20 bucks and not worth it. Entree: I had the parperdelle with the burrata, tomatoes and the red pepper flakes. Decent --- nothing special... can make the same meal at home. Skip it and go to margheritas. Better food for half the price. read more

Otto Strada - Looks good but the meat had so much fat on it on the other side :( - Italian Near Me - Hoboken, New Jersey

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Food was mediocre and service was rushed...was asked to leave before finishing my wine...will not come back

So many good reviews here for this restaurant! I have been here twice and experienced not so good service both times. First, they don't take reservations, so we walked in. We got a seat after an hour but it was outdoors. Requested for indoors but they rudely said they wouldn't be able to do that. Well okay, they don't even have good hospitality and no outdoor heaters. We literally froze outside. Restaurants are going above and beyond these days to make customers feel comfortable on cold days. But not this place!! Service is so bad that no one came to check on us. We had to go inside and ask for the check. Food was average, have had far better pizzas in Newyork city. All in all, a big NO for me and never coming back. read more

YUMMMM! First time eating here since moving to town. We got delivery and it was an hour expected wait but we got it in 30! The foot was still super hot and cooked with love. We got the funghi pasta and the bolagnese. So good both of them and so fresh! Comes with some bread too. Portions are great. A bit pricey but i think food this good is worth it! Will be back. read more

Consistently delicious, no matter what you order on the menu. They are doing a great job with outside dining and delivery during the pandemic. Highly recommend trying the burrata crostini! read more

10/10 amazing Italian food! Great service and atmosphere that offers indoor and outdoor seating. Will definitely be back! read more

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Went here last weekend on a Saturday night with a group of 4.... Had to wait about 45 minutes, but ended up going down the street to another bar and they called us when the table was ready. We got to sit outside on what was a perfect night weather wise for mid-July. We had a great corn on the cob appetizer special which was out of this world. We also had the shrimp appetizer - very good. For my meal I had the carbonara which was not too heavy as this can be a heavier dish. The sauce was thin enough, and the pasta so fresh. In our group we had the seafood cioppino, one pound meatball and vegetable pasta. All amazing! And the price was perfect, especially because we had 2 bottles of our byob wine. Highly recommended and worth the wait! read more

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First, the apps took forever. They tried serving the entree while the apps were on the table. The waiter assured me that he'd instructed the kitchen to make new main courses. Yet as soon as the late apps were removed, cold entrees were served. Stay away. This place has horrible service and serves cold food. read more

The pizza here is incredible! Lots of specialty pies with less common toppings such as broccoli rabe and potatoes. Feels like what I assume is true pizza you'd get in Italy. Each pizza feeds about one person plus a little bit more. Nice and thin but not too thin. I opted to pick up which was very quick. read more

Great food, atmosphere and staff. I have eaten here several times and the food has always been fresh and good. The staff is always friendly and accommodating. One of the best restaurants in Hoboken. read more

Wow! This place is great! The hospitality is as good as it can possibly be, our food came out at a VERY reasonable time, and it was DELICIOUS! I love it so so so much and can't wait until I can go again! Thanks Otto Strada! read more

Otto Strada - Meatball Pizza - Italian Near Me - Hoboken, New Jersey

First time at Otto Strada for both me and my fiancé and we enjoyed it. Service was awesome..our waiter George was very knowledgeable and made some great suggestions! For our entrees my fiancé ordered the tortellini which was excellent and after twenty minutes of deciding (everything sounded SO good), I went with the white pizza with prosciutto and truffle oil. I thought they went a little truffle heavy on the pizza and I probably won't order it again. Our favorite item however was the burrata crostini which had a drizzle of honey..YUM! For dessert we split the nutella brownie which was huge and underwhelming. We were expecting more of a cake-like brownie and this was more of a solid icebox cake and was super rich. The pizza and brownie did not ruin my experience and I am definitely looking forward to return and try others dishes! read more

Otto Strada - Prosciutto pizza and Tortellini - Italian Near Me - Hoboken, New Jersey

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Phenomenal. Not a single bad thing to say! Always have seats. Service is wonderful. Food is out of this world. Highly recommend this place any day of the week. Brunch also = amazing. read more

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Great place. Food is always good. Tonight they snuck in a dessert on our pick up order. Much appreciated and will be coming back much more even without the extra! :) read more

wishing yelp had half stars, so i could give this spot a 3.5. there were a few highs and some lows. my friend i got there around 6pm on tuesday night, definitely the right time to visit, it was empty and we got a table immediately. the highs: -the menu, its has a ton of variety. the appetizer, pizza and pasta options were a plenty! the mains were standard and limited. -the food, super tasty. i definitely recommend you get the buccatini carbonara, so rich and decadent it was my favorite of the night. we also had the veal tortellini and spicy pizza which were tasty too and server reco's. -BYOB, obvious -price, you get a ton of food for the money the lows: -they didnt have the AC turned on, my friend and i basically sat and sweated buckets throughout our entire meal. when its +80 degrees out with almost 100% humidity, do us all a favor and turn it on! -the nats... unsure if these came in from the open windows and doors, but there were nats everwhere. two even wound up in my full glass of red wine. hoping this was due to heat and not something going on in the kitchen... -the nutella brownie, there was no sign of nutella anywhere, it was dense, heavy, fudgelike and $11... definitely skip i plan to come back here again and try some more items off the menu, especially the pizza and pasta! read more

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What an awesome meal. Seriously, the service, the food, the ambiance and BYOB. One of Hoboken's best!

It's BYOB which is nice but the food was not good. The rigatoni was gummy , thick and flavorless. The meatball was decent.

After a 1.5 hour wait, Otto strada stood up to the expectations. Love having an OG Italian place in the neighborhood. They were super accommodating for a vegetarian diet and the cannoli calzone was out of this world!!! read more

Otto Strada is situated on a quiet stretch in Uptown Hoboken. Dining al fresco is certainly the way to go here in the late summer and early fall months when the weather is just right. We arrived on a Thursday and was pleased to see it was not too crowded. This place gets jam packed on the weekends and Fridays so be forewarned. The service was professional yet friendly very befitting of a neighborhood joint. The food was out of this world. WE started off with a type of basil burrata salad which was fresh, light and decadent. We followed that up with a pork ragu with fresh pasta. This might have been the best item of the night. The deep flavor of the sauce clearly displayed an understanding of classic Italian American cooking. Our last dish was a type of lemon chicken, served with potatoes and spinach, again the sauce was tasty, and the dish was light, fresh and delicious. Even if the wait time is long I would recommend giving it a go and making sure you do not miss this spot. read more

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Came here with my wife, second time trying it. There was one four seat table open, and as we asked to be seated and as the host (owner?) greeted us, a party of four came in behind us. He noticed the party of four behind us, and told us he had nothing available. When I asked why we couldn't be sat at the open table, he stated that they try to please as many people as possible so would sit the party of four instead, even though the arrived after us. Wow, we were shocked, what a terrible decision. We went to Margherita's which is MUCH better. We'll never come here again by principle. read more

Cozy Italian spot in Hoboken with amazing service and food. There's a lot of Italian food in Hoboken and this place does it right. Everything from hand made pasta to dessert pizza. A must try if you're in this area! read more

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We ordered a few dishes to be delivered and they were all great! My favorite? Good old linguini with Bolognese. Delicious!

I'm beyond amazed with this place- we got a delivery order during a horrid thunder storm and even though the streets were flooded, somehow my order got here only 10 min after promised . In terms of the food.. wow! My husband and I go to Italy every year and this really held up- the mussels were out of this world- bean salad was redic , the fresh basil made me feel like I was back in Roma- hubby got the Pollo alla Milanese con Prosciutto- and devoured it. The roasted veggies aka the "verdure misto" were fantastic!! And the best surprise ... a tiramisu style cake piece that wasn't ordered but such a pleasant and delicious surprise. 10000000% order from here- you won't be disappointed read more

Simply not good. We came here one night instead of our usual Margherita's. The curb appeal gave it a better draw, but that's about where any favorability ends. The rest was strictly inferior. The noise in the dining area had the decibel level of a Washington Street bar on a Friday. I wouldn't have been able to distinguish a siren alarm over that ruckus. When it came to service, we had all of two minutes of face time with our waiter that night. To call getting our orders taken and water glasses refilled a struggle would be a euphemism. In regards to the food, when the spinach came out, it seemed that they fished it from a vat of oil. My fish entree was a dry overcooked lump that I could barely swallow. By this point I had just wanted the check, but to have been able to quickly over pay for such a poor experience would have been too merciful, so we waited another 20 minutes until the check was delivered. Otto Strada is BYOB, a perk much needed for any diner that would endure it's torture, and we observed plenty of tables with a number of bottles equal to they're party size. This may have explained the incessant noise, but regardless, I was envious for not having the presence of mind to do the same. In the end, after enduring Otto Strada sober, we don't particularly enjoy or recommend the place, but hey, maybe after 5 glasses of wine, it might taste good. read more

Otto Strada - Storefront - Italian Near Me - Hoboken, New Jersey

Everyone raves about this restaurant. I think the food is good, but I wish they would move to a bigger location! I really don't like the atmosphere here. You are crammed in like sardines... There is no decor... Blah. read more